In-Person and Livestreamed
Worship Service
First United Methodist Church of Naples
Sunday Service 10:15 am
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Pentecost Sunday
Anointing & Healing Sunday
May 23, 2021
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From the Pastor
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
This is the week the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! This Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we are celebrating the birthday of the church. I am looking forward to worshiping with you on this special day, either in-person or from your homes, online.
With the new CDC guidelines announced last week, and new guidelines from our Bishop’s office, we are making many changes in our worship service! Vaccinated adults are no longer required to wear a mask! We are going by the honor system and trusting that if you are NOT vaccinated, you WILL wear a mask to church. We will have a special “Comfort” section for anyone who feels more comfortable wearing a mask and prefers sitting apart from those who are not. Everyone in that section must wear a mask. Others may sit in any section, masked or unmasked. Another new guideline is that we will be able to sing once again! We have two hymns planned for this Sunday to get us started. Next week the hymnals will be in the pews again. We will let you know about choir soon. What has NOT changed, is the 6-foot social distancing guidelines between family units. This applies to everyone! PLEASE follow our ushers’ request as to where to sit, while this restriction remains in place for everyone’s safety. Scroll down for more details on the new guidelines.
Thank you, Pam Kennedy, for the beautiful Pentecost altar decorations. Remember that next week is a fifth Sunday, which means it is Children’s Home Sunday. Please use that Sunday to financially support this wonderful ministry we share with churches throughout Florida.
Vanessa Fletcher asked me to send her love to all of you and let you know that she got her first choice in hospitals, which is the main Emory University Hospital. They have found a place to live and she officially starts on the 26th. Hayden has already passed his first round of fire school and is waiting for the second round. I also wanted to share that Vanessa was approved by Florida’s United Methodist District Committee on Ordained Ministry to become a Certified Candidate for Ministry which is a big first step. Please keep them both in prayer.
Everyone, please be sure to scroll down to our prayer list at the bottom of this Eblast so you can spend some time in prayer for the many needs of our church family and our community. Let me know if there is anything specific that I can be praying about for you. Please email me or call if you need anything from our church. We are here for you.
Love and Blessings,
Pastor Nancy
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IMPORTANT NOTICE!
We have learned that many of you are only getting HALF of your Eblast and missing important news and photos, because Gmail and some other programs are cutting off the bottom half! After you reach a certain point in your reading, your email provider will say, down at the bottom, something like “Click here to view all” or “Click here to continue.” If you don’t click there, you will miss important things, especially our Prayer List, which is down near the bottom. If you read the Eblast and don’t see the Prayer List, then you KNOW you have been cut off. Just look for that link at the end and click on it to see all that you are missing!
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This Sunday's Online Worship Service
Every week you will receive a newsy Eblast on Saturdays. This is our electronic newsletter and you are reading it now! It will always contain a link for you to press that will cover you for both the “live” version and “recorded” version of our worship service on YouTube. You can also find our recorded service through our web page or Facebook. So, join us in-person Sunday mornings, online “live”, or at your convenience, through our recorded service. We start showing announcement slides at 10:05 (or earlier) as people are coming into the sanctuary and then the actual worship service starts at 10:15.
If all else fails, just go to www.youtube.com and in the Search box at the top of the page, type "First UMC Naples" and press enter. On the next screen go down about 4 or 5 topics and you will see "First UMC Naples - Sunday Worship - Rev Nancy Mayeux - 05 23 2021". Click on that title, or the picture next to it, to see the “live” broadcast.
Blessings as you watch and participate. Be sure to share the link for live or recorded versions of our service with your friends and family, so they can join you in worship.
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Wear Red this Sunday for Pentecost Sunday!
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles while they were in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of tongues of fire. The main sign of Pentecost in Western churches today is the color red, symbolizing joy and the fire of the Holy Spirit. It has been our tradition to wear red on Pentecost Sunday. Even if you are worshiping from home, and not in the sanctuary, it would still be great if everyone could wear red anyway, while watching the service on this special Sunday.
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Life & Faith Lesson
Rev Nancy Mayeux
Ready, Set, GO!
If you were going to compete in a car race, before you saw the flag drop for you to “go” you would make sure you were “ready” and prepared for this race. You’d need to be sure you had a car with sufficient “power” to handle the endurance required and the speed you needed to beat out the competitors. You certainly could not just pick up any old car from the used car lot down the street. You’d need a special car with power and speed. You’d need to make sure you were completely ready with the best tires and battery and other car parts in the best of condition to do the best possible run in that race. You’d also have to train for a very long time, to learn everything you could and be as practiced as possible.
Just before the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven, he wanted to be sure that his disciples would have “the power” they would need to run the race of their lives. Just like a car racer, they would need to receive “power” to explode out into the world, spreading the Good News and launching the Christian faith in a mighty and powerful way. If they had left that spot where they said good-bye to Jesus, and attempted to launch the new church at that moment, they would have probably failed. Instead, Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem and instead, to “wait” for the Holy Spirit who would give them the “power” they would need. He said he would not leave them orphaned. The Spirit would teach and remind them of everything they needed to know. Only then, would they be prepared to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth!”
On Pentecost, the Spirit poured out over the disciples, appearing as tongues of fire. They received the power in a mighty way. The immediate proof was the fact that everyone from many nations, who were in town for the festival, heard the disciples speak, each in their own native languages – and thousands of people could hear Peter preach with no microphone. In Acts 2, we learn that God added 3,000 people to their numbers that day! Yes, they accessed the power of the Holy Spirit- a power you and I have today. As we embark on our own journeys or races of our lives, are we fully prepared? Have we remembered to access the “power” that Jesus has promised us? What else does the Holy Spirit offer to each of us, that we often forget all about? The Spirit offers much more than good tires, batteries and parts. To find out, come Sunday at 10:15am in-person or live, online, or watch our online recording at any time! It’s Pentecost. WEAR RED THIS SUNDAY!!!
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New COVID Safety Guidelines at FUMC
Our church’s Reopening Task Force met this past week to plan how our church can respond to the new CDC guidelines and the new guidelines from the Bishop’s office, from our denomination here in Florida. Many things will change, but others will remain the same for now.
What’s new?
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Vaccinated adults are no longer required to wear a mask! We are going by the honor system and trusting that if you are NOT vaccinated, you WILL wear a mask to church. We will have a special “Comfort” section (East section of sanctuary) for anyone who feels more comfortable wearing a mask and prefers sitting apart from those who are not. Everyone in that section must wear a mask. Others may sit in any section, masked or unmasked.
- We can sing in church again! Hymnals and Bibles will be back in the pews next week, but we can start singing this week. Choir, for vaccinated singers, may take a while to start up again, as it is non-season, summertime.
- Bathrooms will no longer be sanitized between uses by our custodian. There are disinfectant wipes for you to use before/after you use the facilities.
- Vaccinated staff, volunteers and meeting attendees are not required to wear a mask on campus.
What has NOT changed?
- The 6-foot social distancing guidelines between family units. This applies to everyone! PLEASE follow our ushers’ request as to where to sit, while this restriction remains in place for everyone’s safety.
- The way we do communion and anointing during in-person worship will remain, while we have social distancing requirements
- The way we do staggered entrance and exits to maintain our distance
- Offering will still be collected at the doors upon exiting and attendance still taken at the door, as we cannot pass anything from one parishioner to another
- Children’s Sunday school will not yet start up--- and children aged two and above, must still wear a mask.
- Funerals will be handled differently – please see pastor for details
- Meetings on campus still require social distancing, thus there is a limit to number of people allowed in a meeting room—based on size of room.
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Offerings, Tithes & Giving Goal Cards
Thank you for continuing to support this church and its ministries through congregational giving. Your gifts allow us to continue helping people to know Jesus, to grow in their faith and to serve Him as we help those in need. Please remember that your giving is a form of worship. We pray that you will continue your regular offerings, consider working toward a 10% tithe, and also consider including the church in your will as you review your estate planning. During this pandemic, our ministry and our needs continue. Donations can be mailed to: First United Methodist Church of Naples,
388 First Avenue S, Naples, FL 34102 OR you can click on the box below to make an online donation.
If you have any questions regarding the finances of this church, Giving Goal cards or financial statements, please send an email to our Treasurer, Jeffrey Currier: jeffreylcurrier@gmail.com
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Anointing & Healing Service
This Sunday, our service includes a time of anointing and healing. Normally (pre-pandemic) everyone came forward to receive anointing with oil (sign of the cross on the forehead) and laying on of hands, along with a prayer and blessing. It is a special time for all of us to pray for each other, and loved ones who need healing from brokenness (spiritual, physical, emotional, economic, relationships, memory and grief). I can’t physically anoint your foreheads with oil, but we can still do a virtual anointing and God will find you where you are for that blessing and healing. If you are home, you can bring your own oil to wherever you are watching this service (olive oil, cooking oil, suntan oil or baby oil) and your spouse or family members can anoint each other or you can anoint yourself while I do the liturgy. To make your participation even more interactive, you may want to read from the liturgy from the United Methodist Book of Worship that we normally use by clicking on this link below, and printing it out to use on Sunday morning. If you don’t have a printer, you can still participate by listening.
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Altar Flower Dedication
The altar flowers, this Sunday, are given by Jim Merrifield in honor of our organist, Arthea Brimmer and the Chancel Choir.
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Last Sunday's Service
Did you miss worship last week? Click on the link below to view the video of last week's complete online service, with a sermon entitled “Are You a “Hearer” or a “Doer” of the Word?” which was preached by Rev Nancy Mayeux and based on James 1:22-25
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Altar Flower Ministry
Every week, you have the opportunity to purchase Sunday worship altar flowers and dedicate them to the memory of someone who was special to you or to honor someone who presently needs to be recognized! The cost is $30 and can be arranged by writing the pastor at Pastor@fumcnaples.org . Then you can either pick up your flowers after church or donate them for us to take to organizations in our community, bringing a ray of sunshine to workers and volunteers. All dates are open from June 13 on forward.
Altar flowers from last Sunday, donated by Marie and Dick Evans, were delivered to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
Founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia, Habitat for Humanity today operates around the globe and has helped build, renovate and repair more than 600,000 decent, affordable houses sheltering more than 3 million people worldwide. Habitat was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have at least a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety.
Habitat for Humanity of Collier County has been serving families since April 1978 and has built more than 2,300 homes to date. It is one of the oldest and most successful affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International. Locally, a small, professional staff manages the general programs with assistance from a Board of Directors made up of men and women in Collier County who volunteer their time. Rev. Lisa Lefkow is the CEO and also a deacon at Cornerstone UMC.
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Please Pick Up an “Upper Room”
Please don’t forget to pick up an “Upper Room” devotional outside the sanctuary door on Sunday, before or after worship. There are many wonderful, Scripture-based stories by readers in each edition. We have small and large print versions. You can just make a small donation one week to help us cover the cost of offering these to you.
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Food Drop-Off continues on Sundays for
Grace Place and St. Matthew’s House
THANK YOU to everyone who has brought in food or financial donations toward the food ministry at St. Matthew’s House and Grace Place. You have helped make a difference in the lives of hungry people in our community!
We are still collecting food for the food pantries of both organizations on Sunday mornings, before & after worship services. Other days can always be pre-arranged just by calling us. Monetary donations can be made any time online, or by mail.
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Meal Packing Ministry with
Meals of Hope Continues!
We will continue to do meal-packing during the summer, packing every other week. We have already packed 110,000 meals for hungry families in our community since December, in conjunction with our ministry partner, Meals of Hope. This week, we were so blessed to have our Boy Scout Troop #165 packing food for us. They are wonderful and worked hard to get the job done.
If you would like to volunteer to pack (generally 1.5 to 2 hours) please email Wendy McKee at WendyMcKee3@gmail.com. She will schedule you. We are happy to take first-timers and we will show you how it’s done. You’ve seen photos in past Eblasts of how we are set up. It’s easy and fun. It’s a chance to socialize and get to make new friends. We wear masks and take precautions. Our groups are small. See you soon!
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Need to Reach Us? Here’s How !
We are available to you! Our church office is open by appointment. Just call us and let us know you would like to meet with one of us and we will arrange it. Food can be dropped off on Sundays when you come to worship. Your pastor is mostly working from home during the week and the church presently does not have an Admin or a Director of Discipleship. When you call the church office, the call goes right to the pastor’s computer and will be checked and responded to regularly. Pastor’s personal cell number is listed on that message you hear, if you have a pastoral emergency. The pastor is off on Mondays, as her Sabbath day, but will respond to pastoral emergencies.
Call the church office: (239) 262-1033
Mail contributions to:
First United Methodist Church, 388 First Ave S, Naples FL 34102
Make online donations by clicking the link below:
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PLEASE PRAY!
I hope that each of you knows that I pray for YOU every day. I hope that knowing this, brings you comfort. I pray that you are praying for your brothers and sisters in Christ as well. To help each of you to grow your prayer life with God, we list lots of things that you can be praying for below, from our church family urgent prayer needs to those of the community. Before you begin praying for the needs, I hope that you will remember to thank God for blessings.
Urgent Prayer Requests
From our FUMC Church Family
We want to remind you that this section is for “urgent” prayer concerns only: (in the hospital, on Hospice, recovering from COVID-19, recovering from surgery, receiving radiation or chemotherapy for cancer, recent deaths, etc.) If you have a private prayer that you do not want published below, just email me and I will pray for that person and that need privately: pastor@fumcnaples.org.
- The family of Elinor (Jo) Williams who passed away May 22, 2021 (Tish Coldiron's mother)
- Jack Thomas (Member)
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Tom Griffith (Jeff Currier’s Brother-in-law)
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David (Megan Burkhead's Grandfather)
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Shawn Murray (Friend of Bill Parry)
- Will Meisenheimer (Grandson of Dick and Marie Evans)
- Sheila Strenkert (Karen Carr’s cousin)
- Rick (Father of Amelie Rider)
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Bob Willard (Brother of Betty Jaekle)
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Rosa Fogle (Family of Thelma and Al Johnson)
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All the many unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.
We are praying and thanking God that Carole Emmott and Arnaud Pinchot have improved greatly in their health and are being removed from the Urgent Prayer List.
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Also, Please Pray for…
Wondering what else to pray for? Here are some suggestions!
We are leaving this list up each week to help you remember some important needs. Spend a few moments to pray through this list each day!
- Our church, our Pastor, our Bishop and our District Superintendent
- Everyone on our “church family” prayer list (see above)
- Vaccines for the many people who want and need one, but have not been able to get one
- Each of the families in need who received our lovingly packed bag of food this week
- Our healthcare workers on the front lines who risk their lives daily (2,900 died of COVID last year)
- First responders and other essential workers
- Everyone impacted in some way by COVID-19: sickness, death, loss of jobs and business, evictions, mental health, addictions and hungry families
- All those struggling and overwhelmed throughout these difficult times - for courage, strength, and peace, as they maneuver through the challenges (Some are on the prayer list and some are not.)
- Our leaders – that they will make good and Godly decisions
- Those impacted daily by racism
- Our church’s homebound and the many people who are isolated in long-term living facilities
- Our sister church in Cuba
- All the Scouts and Scout leaders of Boy Scout Troop 165
- Our MDS preschool children, parents and teachers
- Our church’s children and youth, especially those young people away at college
- Those who have experienced and are still recovering from natural disasters
- Our military and their families
- Peace in the Middle East
We pray for our divided nation and that people can learn to set aside their political differences, words of hate and even violence, and love one another as people who are all made in the image of God and loved by God.
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Our MDS Children in VPK Are Learning to Read
Our MDS children in the VPK program are well prepared for Kindergarten. They are pretty good readers when they arrive. They learn reading in fun ways. This week they had group team competitions for forming words.
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OFFICE HOURS
Office open by appointment only. Please call to schedule an appointment or let us know if you need us. We will be checking messages regularly.
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First United Methodist Church of Naples
388 1st Ave S.
Naples, FL 34102
(239) 262-1033
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